Tired from the routine work at office? Or complaining about the insensitive behavior shown by your boss? Or perhaps you are among the majority that never achieves work satisfaction. In all these cases, there is something that we (civilians) can learn from the military life. The key things to avoid the above mentioned problems are – discipline, commitment and dedication. And no matter what you do, there is no better place to learn these aspects than the military settings. The idea here is not only to make career in military but also to learn certain things from that life to make it better for yourself.
First of all, there is too much uncertainty involved in the military world, the biggest of them all is the uncertainty about life and death. Given the hostile environment that a soldier faces on multiple occasions, there is little time to think whether they are satisfied with their jobs or not. They cannot afford to do that. This gives them an undue advantage so that they can live in the moment. We civilians on the other hand are accustomed to a planned routine. If anything unexpected happens, we make a big fuss about it. Once I visited Indo-Pak border in Kashmir, near Gulmarg, and got a chance to meet few military personnel. It was a snowy evening and they were relishing Kahwa at the border. The temperature was 5-7 degrees below zero and there were not many reasons to celebrate, in fact there was not any, for a civilian like you and I. But they were. They cherished the old memories, talked about their families and said how much they loved being there. It was then I realized that military people know how to live in the moment.
Adventure is something that is deeply engrossed in military life and makes it full of thrills and surprises. One Indian Air Force Officer who happens to be a friend of mine, tells me how often he goes for sky diving. And that is not it. Be it about launching the machine guns or the special operations with the snipers or flying the fighter planes – these are some of the things that you can never do in civil life. Even in day to day lives, the soldiers follow a rigorous training schedule that tests their body and mind thoroughly. We on the other hand love the comfort that we experience with inactions. There is hardly any situation where we test the limits of our body and that is where we miss out on one of the greatest treasures of life. Let me quote a beautiful message from the movie Into the wild, to make it more lucid – The sea’s only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don’t know much about the sea, but I do know that that’s the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head.
The friendship that blossoms in the military settings is one of the most beautiful types that can exist. They care for each other, the military people. They know what it takes to think of their nation, their squad, and obey their seniors before making any choice. They do not take life for granted and understand the value of their families. Therefore when they get the opportunity to spend time with their family and loved ones, they truly appreciate it. Being in military doesn’t only make you brave and strong but also a person who lives his or her life to the fullest. And till this day I have not forgotten the advice given by a military officer – It’s all right not to be a military person, but it’s sad to miss military life.
Deepak Rana 